“Do you hear something?” Teddy asked.
Of all the things to happen next, Jacob had not been expecting a big catchy musical number.
6
Tea.
The music swelled. Jacob hadn’t even known that real life could have music but here it was.
Thomas is stage center- in this case, the middle of the cafe floor. The tables pushed away, and the chairs neatly stacked on top as the patrons of the cafe gathered upstage.
Lights flashed- in this case flashlights from the phones of patrons who up until now were working by themselves. Jacob hadn’t known these people to have had any previous relationship, but here they were moving together in near perfect Fosse-esque choreography.
The music swells. It’s a classic Broadway ballad and standing center stage is Thomas. Opening his jacket he struck a pose to reveal his gym clothes, which somehow now appeared to have sequins lined along it. Must be why he never had it open before.
A trumpet blared as Thomas did a small tap dance before pulling a full sized cane out of his back pocket.
The music calmed down waiting for him to begin.
The patrons gathered around, eager for him to begin.
And then- he did
* * *
“LOUD AND LOVING YOU: In the Ledgers of my heart,” By Thomas Celmar.
I was balanced, I was boring,
Just a column in a chart,
Filing numbers, facts, and figures, Never once looked at my heart.
But then your face messed with my budget, Cracked my formulas in twoooooooooooo
Several of the patrons were now brandishing calculators and tapping them like drums. Some of them provided back up “bum bums” but all of them looked maniacally happy - even for well caffeinated regulars.
Every spreadsheet, every balance, Adds up to this rendezvous, I’m done with silent interest Now I’m loud and loving you!
Thomas’ voice went high. Jacob was amazed the glasses didn’t shatter one by one.
Thomas leaned off the table and was grabbed by several patrons who carried him across to the center of the cafe. He laid across them like Cleopatra being carried across a minor inconvenience.
He held the people’s attention perfectly.
The people around him waited with antici
There’s no audit for this feeling,
No escape clause, no review,
Even my spreadsheets scream your name now‘Cause I’m monetized for you!
pation…
Now emotions won’t stop printing and it’s all because of you!
The music kicked into high gear as it roared with Oom Pah Pah. The patrons grabbed each other and began dancing in a classic jazz style. Some jitterbugged, some grabbed coffees and began to play them like horns. The cafe exploded into a Bollywood feverdream as Thomas leapt into the air, landed on a tiny table that threatened to buckle underneath him, and the song continued.
